Double-A Portland was idle on Monday, meaning there is no Meter today. Flags at half-mast, people, flags at half-mast.

Man On The Mend

A pitcher getting healthy? That can’t be right. Not this year, when Dr. James Andrews’ waiting room has its own zip code. Even so, the Orioles system is getting closer to an injection of talent. Righthander Dylan Bundy, himself recovering from Tommy John surgery, threw live batting practice for the first time on Tuesday, according to MASN’s Roch Kubatko.

Dylan Bundy threw live BP today in Sarasota for 1st time. Session went very well. Will do it again in a few days. #orioles

Gregory Polanco, rf, Indianapolis (Pirates): Fans in Indianapolis will be treated to Polanco’s exploits a few weeks longer. The Pirates’ top prospect doubled and homered—that’s No. 5 for him—scored twice and drove home three runs in Indy’s marauding of Norfolk. He’s up to .361/.425/.590 and has people across Pittsburgh just waiting for him to walk through that door.

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

Jimmy Paredes, ss, Omaha (Royals): He’s not prospect-eligible, but what a day for Paredes. The one-time property of the Yankees and Astros went off on Monday for the Triple-A champions, collecting not only a cycle, but the rare reverse cycle. After coming up empty in his first two at-bats, Paredes crushed a grand slam in the fourth inning, then tripled, doubled and singled in his next three trips. He finished with eight RBIs and scored three times.

Eastern League (AA)

Francisco Lindor, ss, Akron (Indians): Normally, a 1-for-3 day with a run and an RBI wouldn’t earn a spot in this space. With a depressed EL schedule on Monday, however, Lindor earns the nod. His single continued an on-base streak of 19 games, dating back to April 21 against Trenton, when Akron was in the midst of a deep freeze. His hot streak has pushed his slash line to .291/.356/.463.

Texas League (AA)

Delino DeShields Jr., cf, Corpus Christi (Astros): Look at the picture below. That’s DeShields after taking a fastball to the face. Tell me, readers, how long would you sit out after having that happen to you? Three months? The season? Forever? All of those are acceptable responses. DeShields missed just three weeks. Then he swatted two home runs in his first game back. Forget being a gamer. That’s superhero status. He had two hits apiece in each of his first three games back, and on Monday he went 1-for-2 with two walks, three runs an RBI and three stolen bases. Pretty nice, right? It gets better. Those three swipes came against Padres prospect Austin Hedges, whose arm ranks among the most feared in the minors.

Ouch.

Southern League (AA)

Jon Moscot, rhp, Pensacola (Reds):In a rotation with Robert Stephenson, Daniel Corcino, Michael Lorenzen and Carlos Contreras, Moscot has taken a step forward. He works with three average pitches—fastball, slider and changeup—and worked last season on learning how to better sequence his pitches. On Monday, he blanked Birmingham for seven innings on six hits and a walk and struck out six. For the season, he’s permitted 37 hits in just more than 50 innings and boasts a sterling WHIP of 1.03.

Florida State League (Hi A)

Patrick Leonard, 1b, Charlotte (Rays): Remember him? He was the other guy in the trade that sent James Shields and Wade Davis to the Royals for a package headlined by Wil Myers and featuring Jake Odorizzi and Mike Montgomery along with Leonard. In any case, Leonard is mashing this season in high Class A, and on Monday went 4-for-4 with two home runs, three runs and five RBIs. He also drew a walk. Moved off of third base, he’ll have to hit a ton to find a spot in the major leagues, and his .314/.391/.587 line so far certainly qualifies.

Carolina League (Hi A)

Simon Mercedes, rhp, Salem (Red Sox): Profiled in our Scout’s Video View series two weeks ago, Mercedes took the front end of the piggyback role on Monday night and was excellent. He held Wilmington to two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk and struck out seven before yielding to William Cuevas. Mercedes, a big-bodied righty, offers a high-octane fastball, as well as a curveball and changeup that flash plus or better. He has struck out 29 in 25 1/3 innings.

California League (Hi A)

Scheduled off-day

Midwest League (Lo A)

Mitch Nay, 3b, Lansing (Blue Jays): Nay, who combines the potential for above-average hitting and 70-grade raw power, has been nails so far for the Lugnuts. He was 3-for-4 on Monday with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs, and is slashing .304/.359/.406 for the season. Nay, who made swing changes last season, also has good hands and adequate range at third base.

South Atlantic League (Lo A)

Hunter Harvey, rhp, Delmarva (Orioles): In the ever-interesting race for the title of Best Prospect In the South Atlantic League, Harvey took a loud step forward on Monday night. The son of former big league closer Bryan Harvey cut through Lakewood with disturbing ease. Over seven shutout innings, Harvey allowed one hit, one walk and struck out 10 before exiting. Even more impressive, he did it on just 83 pitches, 56 of which were strikes. He’s K’d 45 against 15 walks in 39 innings so far this season.